Happy Filipino American Heritage Month! For today I have a San Francisco Drag Queen currently in Southern California Lily Rose (Lawrence Lim). Rose was born and raised in the Bay Area. She is a licensed cosmetologist, and works for Sephora Corporate as a Territory manager for Sephora Collection, which is what actually got her to move to Southern California. Rose has been in the cosmetic field for over ten years and has been with Sephora for eight.
With it being FAHM, (Filipino American Heritage Month) it strongly impacts Rose. When it comes to representation, she stated that she wants to see more representation of Filipino Americans in television, social media, and even in the movies. "I actually plan on doing a Halloween look based on the Philippines flag, this month" Rose said.
Rose has mentioned that she is a huge Disney fan because of her mom. As a kid, her parents took her to Disneyland a lot and she has ever since been in love with all things Disney. Rose loves the dresses that the princesses wear and the stories of magic and fairy tales.
Being a fan of all things Disney, Rose could not miss D23. According to its website, D23 is the official Disney fan club celebrating the wonder and excitement of Disney's stories, characters, music, and experiences.
This year, Rose had such a one-of-a-kind Snow White Dress. What makes her dress so unique is she incorporated her Filipino heritage by adding the "terno".
In the Philippines the "terno" refers to a woman's sleeves to her dress in which the butterfly shaped sleeves are attached to the dress. According to Rose, " I was inspired by the lack of representation of Filipinos in the Disney franchise, and I wanted to show everyone how proud I am to be Pinoy. I also wanted to show that our culture needs to be represented more, just take the attraction, It’s a small world, for example. The Philippines is the only country who has only one representative and the least amount of decoration or representation. It made me really great to hear people recognize the cross between the two and appreciate the Filipino culture." With this extravagant dress, Rose said that she already had the "terno" which she wore in her very first pageant she competed in and as for the whole dress it took her about 3-4 days to complete.
Rose competed in a pageant when she still lived in the Bay Area and it is a title within the Imperial Council of San Francisco, one of the oldest LGBT non profit public benefit corporations which supports causes of other diverse community based charitable organizations. By joining that pageant in 2016 she was given the title Miss Gay San Francisco.
Rose stated how winning the title was very fulfilling. She also expressed how a lot goes into the pageant she entered, It is like the ones on TV. She continued by saying that she had to pick out a gown, decide what to perform for the talent portion, and figuring out the wigs and the jewelry are just the fun part. Then of course in any pageant there is the Q and A portion.Rose said,"Luckily for me, I’m in a drag family filled with pageant queens. They would drill me on possible questions and I would have to answer them with poise and confidence, but also being able to be quick with my response."
When it comes to transforming into a character, it must get tiring to get glammed and get ready. The proud Filipina expressed that at times it does get tiring for her, especially working a full time job. Although this is a hobby and what she does on her spare time. She then added, "I know that the end result is always worth it. What inspires me the most is the drive to succeed and make a name for myself. I know that it is hard work and you have to hustle to get what you want it life."
Rose's favorite character to transform into is Mulan because growing up she was the princess that Rose closely related to. Also, Rose felt that she was also similar to Mulan in the sense that she would bring dishonor to her family based on my beliefs, just like Mulan.
On the other hand, the hardest characters that Rose has transformed into are the ones that aren't her typical skin color. For instance, the Disney lover mentioned how it’s very difficult to achieve green, purple or and other bright color, because being the perfectionist she is, it takes time to create the correct shade and consistency of the make up.
The crowned Miss Gay of San Francisco said that she got into drag 10 plus years ago as she was working for a cosmetic company. She continued, " It's easier to sell make up if you wear it." With Ru Paul's Drag Race becoming a hit, it is also a platform of people within the LGBTQ community, Rose has actually auditioned for Ru Paul's Drag Race three times but she does plan on submitting an audition video again.
Talking about creativity, there was a time that Rose wore a gown made out of paper. Rose stated that it was her audition video for Ru Paul’s drag race. They were required to make an outfit out of paper, so naturally the proud Filipina wanted to represent her heritage."It took almost a week to make, from design, finding the right type of paper, creating the base of the dress, cutting out the decals, adding the glitter and assembling it. All of that and to wear it for less than 15 minutes", according to Rose.
Coming out of the closet can be tough but having people who love and support you will help you through. When Rose came out it was not what she expected it to be.
"Growing up in a Filipino household I was always told by my elders to not play with dolls or act a certain way. I’ve always envisioned my coming out to be over the top and dramatic, in some kind of argument or disapproval. However, my family proved me wrong. My grandmother was on her deathbed, she was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, and a few of my family members were with me in the room. They asked me if there was anything I wanted to tell my Lola (grandmother in Tagalog) , at the time she was no longer responsive but still breathing and can hear. I whispered in her ear that I love her and that I’m sorry, two phrases very seldom said in my family. I burst into tears, as I know this maybe the one and only time I’d ever get to say it. My aunts and uncles, as well as my mom, were comforting me, telling me “it’s ok, we’ve always known” “we are here to support you” I was confused, they assumed I came out to her. So despite what I assumed my family thought, they supported me and continue to support me, and I thank them" Rose said.
Both drag and being part of the LGBTQ community is something Rose is proud of. The best advice she can give would be to someone who wants to come out, he or she should do it on his or her own terms. They should be with people who love and support them. "Not everyone has a happy coming out story, but know that you are loved and you are valid", Rose said.
For someone who wants to do drag and is scared, just do it. There’s no time like the present, surround yourself with other drag queens and learn from them. Learn how to be confident in yourself and own your beauty Rose stated.
Everyone has dreams and goals. Rose dreams that one day she will have a fairytale wedding in front of the Disneyland castle while visiting an international Disney resort for her honeymoon. She then said, "Mind you I'm single, so I have a longways to go... One of my short term goals is to start a family, and adopt a baby. I think there’s nothing more beautiful in the world then giving life. I’m pretty content with my career, but I would like to have my name as a shade for a cosmetic product, or collaborate with a big brand. Another goal I have is to land a role on Ru Paul’s drag race and share our Filipino culture and show we are more than just singers, dancers and nurses."
Those are goals Rose can definitely achieve. What she loves about the Filipino culture is that no matter where you go, when you meet another Filipino Rose said it is like you're home and you've just reacquainted with a family member.